


Sixtisanat

by BlueFloyd



Category: Real Person Fiction, The Imitation Game (2014)
Genre: (yep that's specific), Alternate History, Alternate informatics history, Far from England repressed morality, Free to be who you want and to change informatics history forever, In the golden rays of californian sun, Informatics, Information Technology, M/M, fixit, somewhere beyond the Atlantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-10-05
Packaged: 2018-08-19 17:26:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8219173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueFloyd/pseuds/BlueFloyd
Summary: Alan Turing emigrated to the US at the end of World War II. There he became a professor at Harvard, teaching on plant growth and its mathematical modelization, the subject he was interested at the time. There he also met with Clark Kerr, from the University of Berkeley, a man very interested by the works of Alan on computers, by the possibilities of creating a network of computers, and by Alan himself.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story before the movie came out, imagining a more hopeful life for Alan Turing. I retconned it as a fanfiction of the biopic since the topic is spot on…  
> The title is a dumb pun on "Sixties", "Americana" and "artisanat" (French for craftwork). That was the name I dubbed the alternate universe that could develop from an earlier internet helping organize the campus protests and the overall contestation movement of the 60s.

_Harvard, 63._

 

The students were slowly leaving the amphitheater, clustered in small groups and chatting excitingly. The golden light of the Massachussetts fall flooded the room, illuminating the equations hastily scribbled on the blackboard. Around the desk, several students were discussing with the professor.

"So you see, in the quadratic case, just by fiddling with the coefficient of diffusion from the apical meristem, you can account for most of the phyllotaxy variations. Is it clearer? Good. Further questions will have to wait, I am positively starving. If you want to discuss the subject of phyllotaxy some more, you will find me in the study room from 4 to 7 today." With a smile, Turing reached for the rag and meticulously cleaned his chalk-stained fingers. He gathered his notes and put them all in his briefcase before leaving the room.

"How did the lecture go?"

The man who had been waiting for Turing was in his early thirties. He was wearing a grey suit and a blue tie with gold stripes.

"Perfectly. Such fine minds. I have no doubt mathematical biology will flourish in the years to come. And how was your morning?"

The two men started walking towards the restaurant. 

"The usual. A lot of talking, few results. But we're progressing. We should have a deal by the end of the week."

"And then what? Will you go back to Berkeley?"

"Not if I can avoid it. I'd like to stay until you've finished your class. Leaving you alone in the East Coast weather would be criminal."

"Your geographic rivalry never ceases to amaze me. Have you seen this sunlight, and the colours of the trees? It looks like a magnified version of England."

"Then I'm glad I've never seen the real thing. Nothing comes close to the golden coast, I'm adamant on this one."

While chatting, they had arrived to the restaurant. A butler led them to a table and took their choice of courses. Clark went for the steak with fries, Alan for a duck _hachis parmentier_.

"So, you were saying you will have a deal soon?"

"Why, it was certain from the start. The Harvard board has its pride and likes to get pecky and to discuss every detail of the agreement, but they definitely want to be part of the internetworking. That it was an initiative of the University of California and not an Ivy League one makes them grumble, but they know teaming with us is their best option."

Clark was tearing through his steack while speaking.

"So, no Ivy League internetworking? I would have thought you'd love to have an East Coast Internetworking to dismiss and laugh at."

"I'm more interested in the multiplication of computing power we'll gain in the end, to be honest. Once Harvard is in, the rest of the Ivy League will quickly follow. And then we'll have a Transamerican Internetworking. This is the dawn of a new age of information, Alan!"

"You are over-enthusiastic. It is a great scientific field to be explored but nothing more."

"How can you, of all people, say that? What you did with Enigma..."

Clark had raised his voice, and several guests were looking their way.

"Is still covered by the Secret Act and so we won't discuss it in public."

"But nevertheless was much more than a scientific experiment. And so is the internetworking. You know that along the scientific data, students are exchanging messages through the network?"

"So... like a written telephone?"

"Like a *free* telephone. With more than two people interacting, and a log of the conversation. It can be used to organize and synchronize the campuses at no cost. And it's getting more and more popular." 

"You seem really thrilled by it."

"Of course I am! It will completely change the organization of the society and I can't wait to see what will come out of it!

 Clark was making big gestures with his cutlery to drive his point. Alan was lying back, sipping his wine and watching him with a smile

"I love to see you pumped up like this."

"And you know the best part of it? Harvard will never know what hit them. Their nice students will be in direct contact with dirty Californian youngsters all of a sudden and they won't suspect it for a second. It will make for some interesting development."

"You are truly Machiaveli's reincarnation, Clark."

"I'm so glad you came to California, Alan. None of this would have been possible without your work on computers. To say nothing of the other perks of having you here."

Alan waited for the butler to leave with their empty plates before answering.

"Speaking of. I told my students that I will be in the common room from 4 to 7. In the meantime, what if we went back to my room so you can show me to which extent you are glad I am here?"

"Sounds like a perfect plan."

With a grin, the two men stood up and walked out of the restaurant.


End file.
